HAZARD COMMUNICATION Small Entity Compliance Guide …

1 HAZARD COMMUNICATIONS mall Entity Compliance Guide for Employers That Use Hazardous Chemicals OSHA 3695-03 2014 Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 To assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women; by authorizing enforcement of the standards developed under the Act; by assisting and encouraging the States in their efforts to assure safe and healthful working conditions; by providing for research, information, education, and training in the field of occupational safety and health. This guidance document is not a standard or regulation, and it creates no new legal obligations. It contains recommendations as well as descriptions of mandatory safety and health standards. The recommendations are advisory in nature, informational in content, and are intended to assist employers in providing a safe and healthful workplace.

2 The Occupational Safety and Health Act requires employers to comply with safety and health standards and regulations promulgated by OSHA or by a state with an OSHA-approved state plan. In addition, the Act s General Duty Clause, Section 5(a)(1), requires employers to provide their employees with a workplace free from recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious physical photo: Elizabeth Routh, Corpus Christi Area OfficeMaterial contained in this publication is in the public domain and may be reproduced, fully or partially, without permission. Source credit is requested but not information will be made available to sensory- impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 693-1999; teletypewriter (TTY) number: 1-877-889-5627. This publication provides a general overview of a particular standards-related topic.

3 This publication does not alter or determine Compliance responsibilities which are set forth in OSHA standards, and the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Moreover, because interpretations and enforcement policy may change over time, for additional guidance on OSHA Compliance requirements, the reader should consult current administrative interpretations and decisions by the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission and the COMMUNICATIONS mall Entity Compliance Guide for Employers That Use Hazardous Chemicals Occupational Safety and Health Department of LaborOSHA 3695-03 2014 TABLE OF CONTENTSI. Introduction ..1II. Steps to an Effective HAZARD COMMUNICATION Program ..71. Learn the Standard/Identify Responsible Staff ..92. Prepare and Implement a Written HAZARD COMMUNICATION Program ..113. Ensure Containers are Labeled.

4 144. Maintain Safety Data Sheets ..205. Inform and Train Employees ..256. Evaluate and Reassess Your Program ..28 III. Conclusion ..29 Appendix A: Sample Written HAZARD COMMUNICATION Program ..30 Appendix B: Quick Guide to HAZARD COMMUNICATION Training ..33 Workers Rights ..36 OSHA Assistance, Services and Programs ..36 NIOSH Health HAZARD Evaluation Program ..38 OSHA Regional Offices ..39 How to Contact OSHA ..40 Occupational Safety and Health AdministrationviHazard COMMUNICATION : Small Entity Compliance Guide for Employers That Use Hazardous Chemicals1I. INTRODUCTIONC hemicals have become an important element of almost every aspect of modern life. All of these chemicals from cleaning fluids to pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and paints are produced in workplaces, and may be used in workplaces downstream. While these chemicals have utility and benefits in their applications, they also have the potential to cause adverse effects.

5 These adverse effects include both health hazards (such as carcinogenicity and sensitization), and physical hazards (for example, flammability and reactivity properties). In order to protect workers from these effects and to reduce the occurrence of chemical source illnesses and injuries employers need information about the hazards of the chemicals they use, as well as recommended protective measures. Workers have both a right and a need to know this information too, especially so that they can take steps to protect themselves when one knows exactly how many chemicals may be present in American workplaces. The total number of chemical substances that have been developed and registered in the Chemical Abstracts Service Registry reached 60 million in 2011 the last 10 million of those were added in less than two years.

6 Many of them involve innovations such as the application of not all of these chemicals are produced commercially today, this vast number indicates the scope of the potential problems in workplaces with regard to the safe use of chemicals. In addition, most chemical substances are formulated into mixtures for use in the workplace. Therefore, the number of unique chemical mixtures is far greater than the number of substances, and most workers are exposed to to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), acute illnesses and injuries due to chemical exposures in the workplace have decreased 42% since the HAZARD COMMUNICATION Standard was first scope of workplaces in which chemical exposures occur is also very broad. While most people can readily associate working in a chemical manufacturing plant as being a job that involves chemical exposures, there are many other types of facilities where such usage is also commonplace.

7 For example, construction workers may be exposed to paints, lacquers, thinners, asphalt fumes, or crystalline silica. Hair stylists are exposed to chemical dyes and other hair products that contain hazardous chemicals. All of these types of exposures are of concern in terms of protecting workers, and ensuring that chemicals are used for this GuideThis Guide is intended to help Small employers comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration s (OSHA) HAZARD COMMUNICATION Standard (HCS). The Guide is advisory in nature and informational in content. It is not itself a standard or regulation, and it creates no new legal obligations. The employer must refer to the appropriate standard to ensure it is in Compliance . In 25 states and two territories, OSHA standards are enforced by the state agency responsible for the OSHA-approved state plan.

8 These states are: Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming. Connecticut, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, and the Virgin Islands operate OSHA-approved State Plans that apply only to state and local government employees. State plans must adopt and enforce standards that are either identical to or at least as effective as the Federal OSHA s HAZARD COMMUNICATION StandardOSHA s HCS, 29 CFR , addresses the informational needs of employers and workers with regard to chemicals. The HCS was first promulgated in 1983, and covered the manufacturing sector. It was later expanded to cover all industries where workers are potentially exposed to hazardous chemicals.

9 Occupational Safety and Health Administration2 The revised HAZARD COMMUNICATION Standard is expected to build on the success of the original HAZARD COMMUNICATION Standard and prevent an estimated additional 585 injuries and illnesses and 43 fatalities annually. It will reduce trade barriers and result in estimated annualized benefits in productivity improvements for American businesses that regularly handle, store and use hazardous chemicals, as well as cost savings for American businesses when revising safety data sheets and labels for chemicals covered under the 2012, the HCS was modified to align its provisions with the United Nations globally harmonized system of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). Many benefits will result from revising the HCS to be consistent with the GHS. In particular, the GHS helps to ensure that imported chemicals will be accompanied by consistent HAZARD and precautionary information to protect workers exposed in the In addition, the revised HCS can facilitate trade in chemicals since it reduces potential barriers posed by differing global requirements for classification and labeling of chemicals.

10 Classification means to identify the relevant data regarding the hazards of a chemical; review those data to ascertain the hazards associated with the chemical; and decide whether the chemical will be classified as hazardous according to the definition of hazardous chemical in this section. In addition, classification for health and physical hazards includes the determination of the degree of HAZARD , where appropriate, by comparing the data with the criteria for health and physical hazards . Label means an appropriate group of written, printed or graphic information elements concerning a hazardous chemical that is affixed to, printed on, or attached to the immediate container of a hazardous chemical, or to the outside packaging. Safety data sheet (SDS) means written or printed material concerning a hazardous chemical that is prepared in accordance with paragraph (g) of this HCS is a unique OSHA standard in a number of respects.